‘Shawa wai hun Jago ayiyan, balle wai hun jago ayiyan’  :D was the shor in the city as we started the first wedding celebrations of my cousin brother who’s currently residing in Singapore and had come to his hometown- Bathinda for getting ‘Happily married’ to a girl ma aunt (Bua) n uncle chose for him. Must say he’s a way too obedient for his age and his generation J

I was attending a Punjabi wedding that I myself don’t remember after how many years. Yes, I was kindof excited. But at the same time was a little hesitated too as I knew it would be difficult to gel along with a crew of aunties I’ll be facing at Bua’s place, and who could talk nonstop for hours without requiring a deliberative topic at all. Not that I’m rude in talking to them or atleast wear that expression but just that our wavelengths generally do not match. I’ve not been a bright kid to answer those too direct questions from a Punjabi aunty whom I don’t even know by which relation to address to (aunty/chachi/mami and  a whole lot of variety to choose from) like’ kitti salary hai? Shaadi nai karni kya? kitta rent hai Hyderabad mein?............’ n d list goes on. Ufff, nothingelse makes me mad than such an open expression of curiosity to peep in others’ personal lives! Anyways, I try my best to escape such situations by using some lame tricks like quickly passing a (fully forced) sweet smile, nodding head to wish and then pretending to search Mom or Dad every now n then n the typical ‘ ek min aunty, I’ll be back’ and I wish they understood I have no such intensions at all.

I know I get a way too emotional on such seemingly petty issues but for me it’s always kinda ‘ jaan bacahao’ mission in such gatherings. Coming back to the ceremony called ‘Jaggo’, it’s actually a function that’s celebrated to let your neighbor colonies know that your son is going to win the world, (read a girl). Ask me why do they do that in the middle of the night after making sure that the entire neighborhood has dozed off, the answer is ‘Just for fun’!! aaah, that’s something I love about Punjab & Punjabiis, etiquette, manners, sophistication all those jazz words have  altogether different definitions in our dictionaries. It’s just perfectly alright if all of us,  in the middle of night, with a super loud personal rock band(the  dholwala n his group), were singing/shouting all those folks songs( boliyaan) and even some cheezy hindi songs (Jalebi Bai, munni, sheela n all) on the top of our lungs and on the road.

What was more interesting that we even knocked at some close (privileged) neighbors’ doors and went inside singing & dancing, woke them up, exchanged best wishes for the wedding to take place the next day and headed to another target. ………..Just for Fun!!

While coming back to my Bua’a home after waking up more than half of the neighborhood, there comes a street that’s occupied by some of the not so well to do families. They have small hut like houses and at the first look I could tell they dint have enough electricity to afford a luxury like a fan or a cooler. And I was just out of a place where we had almost every switch in the home turned on no matter if it was needed or not. How I wish I could lend some to those small kids who were playing outside their home, guess to feel tired enough to go to sleep without realizing the need for a fan or a cooler.

Among them there were these two really small kids who were singing & dancing on ‘ Lakk 28 kudi da, 47 weight kudi da’….. :D My My! one shouldn’t have missed the blush on their faces as they noticed I was smiling looking at them, no I wasn’t laughing, it was in admiration of that sheer innocence and the happiness I saw on their faces. I can tell they were happier than anyone else from our ‘Jaggo” band. I was wondering what in the world was making them so haapy!!

Here comes the moment I’m invited again by that ‘get back to the basics’ corner of my mind to contribute in a discussion that titles ‘Life can be beautiful and happy even when it doesn’t have apparently any signs of any luxury  that the world would recognize and admire’.  The DJ starts again at home and I’m dragged in the ‘nachange sari raat’ Jhalak dikh la ja group one more time.

In the midst of all this shor, whispers  the heart again ‘It goes on & The Journey never ends!!’